The Booth trade, the Luongo situation, the Roy trade, the Burrows extension. It's all part of the process right?

And I think they are getting the process right. I would do all of those things again. And if they just keep making those same sorts of decisions over and over again the outcomes are bound to change one year.

If we weren't missing Santorelli and Henrik and Tanev and so on we'd be a better team right now. In the offseason if we can cut Booth loose and replace him with a guy like Marian Gaborik, I mean he's going to cost way less than a player of his skill level should and once he finally gets healthy and every other Canuck gets healthy (and let's face it we are due), this is going to be one tough team to beat.

Maybe you also have room to sign a guy like Olli Jokinen or David Legwand, I mean it would be great for this team to get younger but if we have the room to add a player like that then you have to make the big commitment and just go for it.

There's an opportunity here with depth on defense (the likes of Tanev, Corrado, and Stanton provide some good young depth here) to trade out 2 of the more senior D-men (take your pick which) for younger forwards or high draft picks, and start to bring our present young forwards along. I like seeing Schroeder play, but he's looked better, more confident, on the ice with each game. I'd like to see Jensen up at some point. It's the time to trade from strength, D, and pivot things. I agree we don't want the Flames model, no delusion about contending that involves trading prospects/picks for 30 year olds like Vanek; maybe for a Courtourier type, young forward, or of course Kane, but it's got to be more with 2-5 years in mind, not this one.

dbr wrote:Maybe you also have room to sign a guy like Olli Jokinen or David Legwand, I mean it would be great for this team to get younger but if we have the room to add a player like that then you have to make the big commitment and just go for it.

I say overpay a bit for ONE top tier scorer via trade or in the offseason, if ya can't sign one of Vanek or Stastny then screw most of the 2nd tier UFA's.

We have enough overpaid 2nd/3rd liners like Booth and Burrows.

These guys are taking $8.75M of cap space this season while having a combined total of 5 goals, almost $9M in cap for 17 points combined for both after almost 3/4 of the season gone by.

Almost NINE MILLION DOLLARS for nothing, damn.

If they both had 15 goals a piece at this point in the season, as their paid to do, we'd probably be way up in the standings.

Jokinen is poison, his teams never make the playoffs, Legwand is more suited for a team like the Hawks, who just need a piece for uber depth, I'd much prefer getting that wicked sniper for our 2nd line somehow, someway.

Gaunce, Horvat or maybe even Fox I bet anything one of them if given a chance and some patience would be primo for our 3rd line center spot next season.

When it comes to minor/major re-tool/rebuild, it comes down to who on the team can successfully play the way Torts and (now) Gillis want them to play. Doesn't matter how many of what size of salary needs to go or stay. That's why I voted for a minor rebuild because this team still isn't big nor mentally/physically tough enough to play the way the organization wants them to play.

Who among the regulars can play Torts hockey on a contending team:-Higgins (more as a 3rd liner who can spell in the top 6 than anything more)-Kesler (provided he is not THE guy, as we've found out)-Kassian-Richardson (in a bottom-6 role)-Sestito-Bieksa-Stanton-Tanev

Who obviously can't:-The Sedins-Hansen-Edler

The ones we just don't know about:-Burrows (This year is an aberration/abomination) - though he's a tweener-Santorelli - another tweener-Booth - another tweener due to his more inspired and physical play of late-Hamhuis - a tweener because either he is playing way too many minutes or is just not up for the system Torts employs for his blueliners-Diaz - Too early to tell and he's a UFA anyway-Weber -Dalpe

I'm inclined to put Hamhuis among the Torts players because I think his problems stem from the amount of ice time he's been eating lately. I had Booth among the non-Torts types but if he continues this play of speed and hitting, you never know. Burrows cannot keep playing with that shield and hope for another point. Thank God he gets it off at the end of the month.

Otherwise, Gillis has to move those non-Torts players out for future help. He has to figure out who among the undecided must go and get what he can for them. The kicker is the most important players are among the ones who obviously cannot succeed on a Torts team. I think we may as well resign ourselves that we are stuck with the Twins until the end of their contracts. As for the rest, ship them out. I also say, if Lou isn't all-in on Vancouver, ship him out when his window comes up and put our faith in The Stork.

My only concern is where the goals will come from? Will this become the Minnesota Wild of the West Coast? No matter what Gillis says about building a team on mucker goals from in-tight, unless he ices a squad full of 6'4" 230-lb monsters who throw D-men around to play catch in the crease and run goaltenders into the IR, I don't know that's going to get the team in the long run.

This team needs to be remade in Torts' image, but I think Torts needs to take a long look at his record after Tampa and think of some wrinkles to his game to get more offense out of the squad.

dbr wrote:Maybe you also have room to sign a guy like Olli Jokinen or David Legwand, I mean it would be great for this team to get younger but if we have the room to add a player like that then you have to make the big commitment and just go for it.

Serious dbr? Jokinen is probably the most well travelled, 9 lives journeyman in the game and you want that waste of time and money here?

David Legwand is dumber than Booth, but if you want dumb and dumber here then I see your point.

"I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? - Plastics." - The Graduate

rats19 wrote:See how thing shake out over the break and the trade deadline..

A word of advice, don't expect much of a change.

I would tend to agree, I don't see much happening at the deadline. Too many guys have been here too long, too much baggage to make a quick trade. If they miss the playoffs, which I think is a given without major changes, we will see plenty of player movement in the summer but not at the deadline.

We will see what happens. Would really like to see some new blood but I'm not holding my breath.

rats19 wrote:See how thing shake out over the break and the trade deadline..

A word of advice, don't expect much of a change.

I would tend to agree, I don't see much happening at the deadline. Too many guys have been here too long, too much baggage to make a quick trade. If they miss the playoffs, which I think is a given without major changes, we will see plenty of player movement in the summer but not at the deadline.

We will see what happens. Would really like to see some new blood but I'm not holding my breath.

Which is why Aquamarine needs to fire Gillis, clearly he is not fit for the situation we are in

I only see Hansen and Higgins as being tradeable at the deadline. Edler would only waive if it were a team like the Red Wings, same goes for all the other NTC's. it's a fucked situation, the corner Gillis has backed himself into. We are surrounded by young up and coming teams and we are getting old, a quick rebuild is a must, do not want to see us keep chipping away at our farm in chase if Lord Stanley when we are nowhere near in that position.

"I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? - Plastics." - The Graduate

Skyo, I understand it was a tough night for the Laffs, Nonis, Raymond haters last night, but aren't you being a little bit harsh? Aren't you pointing the blame fingers in the wrong direction? Shouldn't those yellow stained cigarette fingers be pointing at Mike Gillis and Torterella. It is quite obvious that AV and Raymond were not the problem last year as we see the team has digressed even further since. Is there no sympathizing with the two major injuries that Burrows has endured this season. We have seen players like Raymond battle back from serious, near career ending back injuries, there is no reason why Burrows cannot do the same.

"I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? - Plastics." - The Graduate